Zhao Huan sat down and asked the waiter to make a pot of tea while he listened to the shopkeeper's explanation.
The shopkeeper sighed and said, "There was a Chai Dazhong in Pang County. His family was originally poor. One year, Zhou Dazhong worked as a farmhand for Mr. Zhou, helping to harvest wheat. It happened to be rainy that year. Mr. Zhou was worried that the wheat would get wet, so he ordered his farmhands to harvest quickly and pay them double the wages. The more work, the more money.
Chai Dazhong was newly married, and his family was poor. So he worked like crazy, collapsing from exhaustion in the wheat fields. He survived, but was left with a serious illness and had to rely on medicine for support.
When Chai Dazhong fell ill, his family was left struggling to make ends meet. Chen Jiaoniang went to Mr. Zhou to argue, but Mr. Zhou, a righteous man, gave his family some money to cover their medical expenses. However, Chai Dazhong, still recovering, went back to work in the fields, and within a few days, his condition worsened. A doctor later diagnosed him with a monthly bowl of ginseng soup to save his life.
How much is this ginseng soup worth? How can the Chai family afford to drink ginseng soup every month? But without the ginseng soup, Chai Dazhong's life will be in danger. Chen Jiaoniang has no choice but to go to Zhou Yuanwai again.
"Did Mr. Zhou help her?" Nangong Lian'er couldn't help but ask.
"Lian'er, don't interrupt. Let him finish what he has to say." Zhao Huan was fascinated by what he was saying. He liked these folk stories.
The shopkeeper shook his head and said, "Although Chai Dazhong's illness was caused by Mr. Zhou, Mr. Zhou has already paid for the medical expenses. It was Chai Dazhong who went to work in the fields before recovering from his serious illness, which resulted in his injury. Naturally, Mr. Zhou was unwilling to work again. Besides, not to mention his Chai family, even Mr. Zhou's family, who are rich and powerful, probably can't afford to support a bowl of ginseng soup every month. So he gave more than ten taels of silver and signed a receipt, stating that he would have nothing to do with Mr. Zhou in the future, and then sent Shen Jiaoniang away.
It just so happened that Mr. Zhou wanted to expand his ancestral home, and his home was next to the Chai family.
The two families started arguing over the ditch again. Chen Jiaoniang knew she was in the wrong, but she couldn't let it go. She believed her husband was all because of Mr. Zhou, so she filed a lawsuit with the county government.
County Magistrate Zhang was quite troubled by this matter. He also sympathized with Chen Jiaoniang's experience, but it was true that this matter had nothing to do with Mr. Zhou, and Mr. Zhou had done his utmost.
It so happened that Zhou Dazhong was a direct descendant of Zhou Shizong, and his family had a red-lettered iron certificate bestowed by the current emperor Taizu.
So County Magistrate Zhang came up with a plan, hoping that Shen Jiaoniang would take the red letter and iron certificate to Yingchang City to find the prefect. He would have the prefect report the matter and ask the court to pay the money.
Unexpectedly, Chai Dazhong's wife, Shen Jiaoniang, went to Yingchang City. That bastard Li Maoguo not only refused to report the case but also sent it back to Pang County. County Magistrate Zhang was furious and personally led his men to Yingchang to question the magistrate. Although County Magistrate Zhang berated the bastard prefect, the prefect still refused to handle the case. He simply had Mr. Zhou pay Shen Jiaoniang another thirty taels of silver and the matter was settled.
Zhao Huan gasped. He had heard two completely different versions of Zhang Sanpai's story. Douhuazhuang had previously assumed the county magistrate was a corrupt and lawless official, but he hadn't expected the corrupt official to be Li Maoguo, not Zhang Sanpai.
"Boss, don't worry. Even if your county magistrate is transferred, it's still a promotion. Your Pang County's water conservancy will continue. Besides, the good days of that scoundrel Li Maoguo, the prefect, are over." Zhao Huan stood up and waved his folding fan. "Let's go back to our rooms and rest."
Zhao Huan and Nangong Lian'er stayed in the "preferable room." The "preferable" room simply had new bedding, and the furnishings remained spartan. But Nangong Lian'er, having been a swashbuckler before, was used to it. Zhao Huan, a slovenly man, didn't mind.
Cao Dongsheng and Linghu Yunlong lived next door to each other so that they could be protected at any time.
On the second day, Zhao Huan and three others found out where Chen Jiaoniang was.
There is a large house next door with red walls, high tiles, and a tall gate. I think it must be Mr. Zhou's home.
To the west of Mr. Zhou's house stood a dilapidated thatched cottage. The house was old and dingy, and even the thatched roof hadn't been replaced in years, making it look even more dilapidated.
Before entering the house, bursts of coughing and a man's voice were heard from inside.
"Jiao Niang, don't treat my illness. It costs so much money, even if we sell everything we have, it won't be enough. You extorted so much money from Mr. Zhou's family, how can we bear it?"
"My husband, your illness was caused by Mr. Zhou, how can it be considered blackmail. Besides, even if it is blackmail, I will admit it. As long as it can cure you, I will kill people, and I don't care about all the sins in the world. I just want you to be alive." The voice was already crying at the end, and it was Shen Jiaoniang's voice.
Everyone outside who was listening had gloomy expressions on their faces, and Nangong Lian'er even regretted whether she had been too harsh on Chen Jiaoniang that day.
Zhao Huan was even more worried. The Song Dynasty hadn't even taken good care of Zhou Shizong's descendants. He felt he had failed in his duty by leaving them to live in such a dilapidated hut. This shabby house was fine when it wasn't raining, but if it did, it would leak everywhere.
With a creaky sound, Zhao Huan pushed the door open and walked in. Nangong Lian'er and the others followed him in.
Chen Jiaoniang was feeding medicine to a man on the bed. I guess this must be Chai Dazhong.
She saw someone suddenly break into her home. She looked back and saw that it was the same people who had chased her in the Yingchang government office that day. She thought they were out for revenge and was so scared that she dropped the medicine bowl in her hand and it shattered to the ground.
Shen Jiaoniang stood in front of Chai Dazhong and stretched out her hand to stop everyone: "You, what do you want to do!"
Zhao Huan looked around the shabby house. There wasn't a single decent piece of furniture inside. Only a rusted iron sheet sat in the main hall. He assumed it was the imperial certificate of red ink bestowed by Emperor Taizu.
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